Our Lady of Czestochowa

A close-up of the tomb of St. Ceclia at the basilica dedicated to her in Trastevere, Rome, Italy. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

Vatican City, Nov 22, 2025 / 04:00 am (CNA).

St. Cecilia, widely known as the patron saint of music and musicians, is buried in the Basilica of St. Cecilia in the Roman neighborhood of Trastevere where a famous Baroque sculpture of her still puzzles scholars.

According to popular belief, Cecilia was a Roman noblewoman who lived in the third century. Despite being forced by her family to marry, she remained a virgin, as she had vowed to do as a young girl.

Her pagan husband, Valerian, converted to Christianity after their marriage, and Valerian’s brother, Tiburtius, was also baptized a Christian. Both men were martyred. St. Cecilia, too, would later be tortured and martyred. It is said she took three days to die after the executioner hit her three times on the neck with a sword.

After her martyrdom, St. Cecilia was buried in the Catacomb of St. Callixtus. The underground burial place of early Christians was created around the turn of the first century A.D. by Callixtus, a deacon who later became pope.

Located under the Appian Way, an ancient Roman road connecting the city to southeast Italy, the Catacomb of St. Callixtus once held the bodies of more than 50 martyrs, including St. Cecilia, and popes from the second to the fourth centuries.

After the end of Christian persecution, the relics of the Christians buried in the city’s many catacombs were moved to churches for veneration. St. Cecilia’s remains were transferred in the early 800s to a church built on the ruins of her former home.

It is said that hundreds of years later, during a restoration of the church in 1599, her tomb was opened, revealing her body to be, miraculously, incorrupt. Artist Stefano Maderno was commissioned to create a marble sculpture of the saint.

Sources disagree about whether the Baroque artwork, still on display today at Cecilia’s tomb in the Basilica of St. Cecilia in Trastevere, is a depiction of how the saint’s body was found in 1599 or an invention of Maderno. Either way, the sculpture — which depicts Cecilia lying on her right side, her hands tied, her face turned toward the ground, and the wound of her martyrdom visible upon her neck — is considered a masterpiece.

There are several widely-told legends about St. Cecilia and her husband. One of the oft-repeated beliefs, dating to the fifth century, is that she sang to God “in her heart” as musicians played at her wedding feast.

This story about the saint comes from a Latin antiphon, but there is a competing interpretation, however.

“Cantantibus organis, Caecilia virgo in corde suo soli Domino decantabat dicens: fiat Domine cor meum et corpus meum immaculatum ut non confundar,” the Latin antiphon says. In English it means: “While the instruments played, the virgin Cecilia sang in her heart to the Lord alone, saying, ‘Let my heart and my body be made pure, that I may not be confounded.’”

Another version of the antiphon gives a slightly different opening word, “candentibus,” instead of “cantantibus,” which would change the translation from musical instruments playing to “glowing” instruments of torture.

Scholars continue to disagree about which Latin version is the correct one and which may be a copy error. What is without dispute, however, is St. Cecilia’s selfless example of faithfulness to God, even to the point of the sacrifice of her own life.

St. Cecilia’s feast day in the Church is celebrated Nov. 22.

This story was first published on Nov. 22, 2024, and has been updated.

Notre Dame President Robert A. Dowd, CSC, said he is reinstating “Catholic Mission” among staff values on Nov. 21, 2025. / Credit: Matt Cashore/University of Notre Dame

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 21, 2025 / 18:30 pm (CNA).

The University of Notre Dame has reinstated “Catholic Mission” among its staff values after it opted to drop the language in an effort to reprogram the school’s Catholic identity as overarching. 

In a Nov. 21 staff announcement, Notre Dame President Robert A. Dowd, CSC, said commitment to the school’s Catholic mission was referenced in the preamble to the new four staff values announced at a town hall meeting last week “as a way to show its overarching importance.” 

“Thanks to some constructive feedback we received, we now realize that placement is causing confusion and that some could interpret that not as elevating our mission as we intended but as a sign of diminishing commitment,” he said. “To avoid any further confusion, we have now included the language on Catholic mission as the first of our five core values.”

“Catholic Mission” is now listed first in the university’s staff values, with the description: “Be a force for good and help to advance Notre Dame’s mission to be the leading global Catholic research university.” 

Dowd emphasized that the school’s Catholic mission “guides and informs all that we do and how we work together,” adding: “Our Catholic mission has animated our common work from the university’s founding, and it will always be our guiding force.”

“I could not be more grateful for the many ways you embody the very best of Notre Dame,” he concluded, addressing Notre Dame staff. “As I have said on many occasions, you inspire me with your generosity, kindness, and dedication to Our Lady’s university.”

Ezequiel Ponce, a high school senior from Downey, California (left), and Elise Wing, a senior from Waterloo, Iowa (right), speak at a press conference following their digital dialogue with Pope Leo XIV on Nov. 21, 2025. / Credit: Jonah McKeown/National Catholic Register

Indianapolis, Indiana, Nov 21, 2025 / 18:10 pm (CNA).

At a press conference Friday following Pope Leo XIV’s historic “digital visit” with 16,000 young people at the National Catholic Youth Conference in Indianapolis, leaders and young participants praised Pope Leo’s warmth, humility, authenticity, and pastoral clarity, highlighting his central message: a personal relationship with Jesus is essential.

“Walking up on that stage felt like history. It really did,” said Elise Wing, a high school senior from Waterloo, Iowa, and one of the teens selected to ask Pope Leo a question during the live dialogue, which was facilitated digitally by EWTN on Nov. 21. 

“It’s beautiful to see somebody so holy really coming to us like that, like Jesus would — like Jesus does,” Wing said. 

“Because in the end … we’re not excited because we got to talk to the pope. We’re excited because this is Jesus working through the Church, working through the pope in this conversation. I just think that knowing that, and feeling that it wasn’t just about us in that moment, makes this experience all the more incredible.”

Joining the young people on the press conference stage were Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez of Philadelphia, episcopal adviser to the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry (NFCYM); Archbishop Charles C. Thompson of Indianapolis; Montse Alvarado, president and chief operating officer of EWTN News; Christina Lamas, executive director of NFCYM; and Katie Prejean McGrady, an author, radio host, and moderator for the dialogue with the pope.

Ezequiel Ponce, a senior from Downey, California, said his heart was thumping as he approached the microphone, but the extensive preparation that the teens had received before the dialogue gave him confidence.  

“I was really able to live in a moment. I felt at ease. When I was talking to the pope, I felt like I was talking to my dad or someone close to me. It felt personal because he addressed us. He said my name. He said it right,” Ponce said. 

During the dialogue, five teens from around the country asked Pope Leo probing questions about mental health, artificial intelligence (AI), and the future of the Catholic Church, while tens of thousands of their peers in the stadium and at least 50,000 people online watched live. The dialogue was also picked up by several major secular news outlets globally.

If you want to help the Church prepare for the future, the pope told the young attendees, start by “being involved today” — stay connected to your parish, attend Sunday Mass, join youth activities, and say yes to faith-nurturing opportunities, the pontiff advised. 

“I will accept Pope Leo’s challenge of really being involved in the Church,” Ponce commented. “He talked about finding people that you can really trust … that not only will listen to you, but help guide you with your faith in the Lord, push you to ask questions and push you to better your understanding and be there for you truly.”

Wing expressed amazement that the pope addressed the teens by name and engaged directly with their questions during the face-to-face call.

“The pope just kept bringing it back to the Lord. That’s why we’re here. That’s why all of us are doing what we’re doing,” she said. 

“Jesus is what we’re longing for. And I think that that is the message that was really conveyed.”

Ponce, who is involved in a Catholic summer camp back home in California, said it was “super refreshing” to hear Pope Leo vocalize a sentiment that Ponce’s youth leader has also told him: that young people aren’t merely the future of the Church, they are also “the present.”

“To hear that basically being put into Pope Leo’s words and being shown by him directly nodding and agreeing with us … It felt super, super refreshing to hear that. [And] not only is that message going to be sent across to us, and back home, but all over the world,” Ponce said. 

Wing agreed, saying that the pope modeled for young Catholics respectful, non-polemical dialogue that she hopes will shape wider Church and cultural engagement.

“I think that the pope set an amazing example for how we should really communicate with each other. All the bishops and people that are here at NCYC are people who want to talk to teenagers, and who are willing to listen, but not everybody in the world is like that,” Wing said. 

“To hear the pope do what he did and talk to us, and be able to not debate but understand each other is, like Ezequiel said, just refreshing.”

Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the apostolic nuncio to the United States, praised the poise and maturity of the teen participants and spoke about how he feels the pope’s words, and the dialogue in general, was valuable for all Catholics. 

“I had the impression that it was a ‘Church event.’ It was not just a ‘show’ of the Holy Father. It was a Church event,” the cardinal said. 

“Because the Church is made of people. The Church is not something above us. We are quite often tempted to put ourselves as the judges of the Church, as if the Church was something else … [but] we are the Church.”

Lamas spoke about the fulfillment of her “dream” that the pope would directly address the thousands of young people at the annual conference. 

“I recall myself sitting there and just looking around the stadium, thinking to myself, ‘This generation that we’re seeing here will now enter into a new phase.’ They have now experienced Pope Leo in a way that none of us as Church [have]. And so what’s to come into the future? I don’t know. But I know hearts have been changed,” Lamas said. 

Lamas also said the pope’s “yes” to taking the time and considerable effort to have a genuine dialogue with the young people of the United States shows an authenticity that resonates with the youth she works with.

“I saw Pope Leo [being] very authentic, and that’s what our young people are craving — authenticity. He said it numerous times in his words and how he answered some of the questions. He wants people to show up … he did that for them,” Lamas said. 

For her part, Alvarado noted that the digital encounter included two breakthroughs: a demonstration of cutting-edge Vatican production, and the pope’s fluency with tech culture — discussing such topics as “screen time” and AI. 

“That shows you that not just the Vatican, but the Church itself, is encountering the world in a new and different way through the person of Pope Leo XIV,” Alvarado said.

Pope Leo XIV speaks to teenagers during a digital encounter at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis during the 2025 National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC) on Nov. 21, 2025. / Credit: Tessa Gervasini/CNA

Indianapolis, Indiana, Nov 21, 2025 / 17:50 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV spoke to teenagers during a digital encounter at Lucas Oil Stadium on Friday in Indianapolis during the 2025 National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC). 

Five teenagers asked the pope questions regarding using technology, recovering from mistakes, giving worries to Jesus, avoiding distractions, and preparing for the future of the Church. The pope gave guidance to the young crowd with words applicable to both teenagers and the universal Church. 

The Holy Father’s advice that Catholics can apply to their lives included:

Sin never has the final word

“All of us struggle,” Leo said. “The truth is that none of us is perfect.”

“St. Paul teaches that everyone has sinned and fallen short of the glory of God … Because of original sin, we sometimes do the opposite of what we know is right. But there’s good news. Sin never has the final word,” the pope said.

“Whenever we ask for God’s mercy, he forgives us. Pope Francis said that God never gets tired of forgiving. We sometimes get tired of asking for forgiveness. So even when we fall again, we should remember St. Paul’s words, ‘Christ Jesus, came into the world to save sinners.’ He came for us, knowing our weaknesses,” he said.

“We may struggle to forgive, but God’s heart is different. God never stops inviting us back. We experience this mercy of God in a special way in the sacrament of reconciliation,” the pope said.

“It can be discouraging when we fall, but do not focus on all your sins. Look to Jesus. Trust his mercy and go to him with confidence. He will always welcome you home,” he said.

Give your worries to God

“In his first letter, St. Peter tells us to give all our worries to Jesus because he cares for us,” Pope Leo said. “Jesus does not just understand our struggles from a distance. He actually wants us to hand them to him because he loves us.”

“That trust starts when we have a real relationship. We cannot give our problems to someone whom we barely know. Think of your closest friends, for example. If they were hurting, you would talk to them. You would listen to them. You would stay close. Our relationship with Jesus is similar,” he said.

“He knows when life feels heavy. Scripture reminds us that he is near to the brokenhearted. Even when we do not feel his presence, our faith tells us that he is there. To entrust our struggles to Jesus, we have to spend time with him in prayer. We have to have a relationship with him,” he said.

“Daily moments of silence are so important, whether through adoration, reading Scripture, talking to him, looking for those little spaces of time where we can be with him. Little by little, we learn to hear his voice, to feel his presence, both within and through the people that he sends to us,” the pope said.

Find real friends 

“It’s … important to pray for the gift of true friends,” the pope said. “A real friend is not only someone who’s fun to be with, oh, that is good, too. But it’s someone who helps you grow closer to Jesus, someone who encourages you to become a better person. Good friends also push us to seek help when life gets difficult or confusing.”

“Good friends will always tell us the truth, even when that’s not easy to do. Scripture says that faithful friends are like a strong shelter and a treasure. I hope you are forming friendships like that, even during this conference. Friendships rooted in faith, rooted in love for Jesus,” the pope said.

It’s OK to get distracted, but then come back to God

When we get distracted in prayer, “sometimes the best thing to do is to follow the distraction for a moment, see why it’s there,” Pope Leo said. Then after acknowledging it, “turn back and remember why you’re there and why you’re in prayer and to say to the Lord, ‘Look I’m distracted right now. I know you understand.’”

“But not to allow yourself to be taken too far away, especially during prayer, because there are all kinds of temptations and all kinds of distractions, but there’s only one Jesus Christ, and we really need to give our time also in prayer to Christ,” the pope said.

Technology should serve your life, not the other way around

“Technology can really help in many ways,” and it “can help us live our Christian faith,” Pope Leo said. “It lets us stay connected with people who are far away … It also gives us amazing tools for prayer, for reading the Bible, for learning more about what we believe.”

“It allows us to share the Gospel with people we may never meet in person. But even with all that, technology can never replace real in-person relationships. Simple things, a hug, a handshake, a smile. All those things are essential to being human,” he said.

“Watching Mass online can be helpful, especially when someone is sick or elderly or cannot attend in person. But actually being there, taking part in the Eucharist, is so important for our prayer, for our sense of community,” the pope said.

“It’s essential for our relationship with God and with each other. There’s nothing that can replace true human presence, being with one another. While technology certainly can connect us, it’s not the same as being physically present.”

Jesus will always protect, guide, and love his Church

“When we face challenges or worries about the future, it might be good to remember that promise that Jesus once made to Peter when he said, ‘The gates of hell will not prevail against the Church.’ Jesus will always protect, guide, and love his Church,” the pope said.

“The day I was elected pope, I said, ‘God loves us, and evil will not prevail,’” the pope said. “We are all in God’s hands. Jesus wants everyone to come close to him.”

“The Church prepares for the future by staying faithful to what Jesus asks of us today. He told us not to be overwhelmed by worries but to seek first the kingdom of God, trusting that everything else will fall into place. He promised that the Holy Spirit would guide us and help us understand what we need to do,” the pope said.

Be involved 

Pope Leo encouraged involvement in the Church, especially among youth. “You are not only the future of the Church, you are the present,” he said to teens. 

“If you want to help the Church prepare for the future, start by being involved today. Stay connected to your parish, attend Sunday Mass, join youth activities and say yes to opportunities … where your faith can grow,” he said.

“Your voices, your ideas, your faith matter right now, and the Church needs you. The Church needs what you have been given to share with all of us,” he said.

“The more you come to know Jesus, the more you will want to serve him and his Church. One great way to build up the Church is by sharing your faith, teaching the faith to others, helping others who need you,” the pope said.

Your vocation is always connected to the greater mission of the Church

“As you discern your vocation, trust Jesus. He knows how to lead you to true happiness. If you open your heart, you will hear him calling you to holiness,” Pope Leo said. 

“As Pope Benedict XVI once said, ‘Jesus takes nothing away, and he gives you everything.’ When we give ourselves to him, we receive far more than we could ever imagine,” he said.

“If you think you may be called to marriage, pray for a spouse who will help you grow in holiness, help you grow in your faith,” the pope said.

“Some of you may be called to the priesthood to serve God’s people through the word and sacraments. If you feel that tug in your heart, don’t ignore it. Bring it to Jesus. Speak with a priest you trust,” Pope Leo said.

“Others may be called to consecrated religious life, to be witnesses of a joyful life completely given to God. If you sense this call, that gentle tug, do not be afraid,” he said.

We were made for something greater 

“Now is the time to dream big, be open to what God can do through your lives. Being young often comes with the desire to do something meaningful, something that makes a real difference. Many of you are ready to be generous, to help those who love, to work for something greater than yourself,” the pope said.

“That is why it is not true that life is only about doing what feels good to yourself, makes you feel comfortable, as some people claim it. Sure, comfort can be nice, but as Pope Benedict XVI reminded us: ‘We weren’t made for comfort. We were made for greatness. We were made for God himself,’” he said.

“Deep down, we long for truth, for beauty, and goodness, because we were created for them,” Pope Leo said. 

Don’t use political categories to speak about faith 

“Joy, hope, with creativity, authentic witnesses in the Gospel can help heal and unite humanity,” Pope Leo said. “Jesus also calls us disciples to be peacemakers — people who build bridges instead of walls, people who value dialogue and unity instead of division.”

“Please be careful not to use political categories to speak about faith, to speak about the Church. The Church doesn’t belong to any political party. Rather, she helps form your conscience … so you can think and act with wisdom and love. As you go closer to Jesus, do not fear what he might ask of you,” the pope said.

Over 200 Christians were murdered by Islamist militants in Nigeria on June, 13, 2025. / Credit: Red Confidential/Shutterstock

ACI Africa, Nov 21, 2025 / 17:20 pm (CNA).

The Diocese of Kontagora in Nigeria has described as “painful and disturbing” the Friday, Nov. 21, kidnapping of children and staff at St. Mary’s Catholic Nursery, Primary, and Secondary Schools.

In a statement shared with ACI Africa, CNA’s news partner in Africa, the diocesan secretary of the Nigerian episcopal see appealed for intensified national action against insecurity.

Father Jatau Luka Joseph said armed attackers invaded St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools in Papiri, Niger state, in the early hours of Nov. 21, abducting “some pupils, students, teachers, and a security personnel who was badly shot.”

“The incident occurred between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m., causing fear and distress within the school community,” he said.

“The Catholic Diocese of Kontagora strongly condemns the attack and expresses deep concern for the safety of the kidnapped children and their families,” Luka Joseph said.

He added that security agencies were immediately informed and had begun coordinated efforts to ensure the safe rescue and return of the victims.

Bishop Bulus Yohana Dauwa assured the public that the Kontagora Diocese is “actively collaborating with security operatives, community leaders, and government authorities.”

The diocese called on the public to “remain calm, support security efforts, and continue praying for the safe and quick return of all abducted.” It further reaffirmed its commitment to the protection of children and promised to provide further updates as verified information becomes available.

The statement shared by the diocesan secretary reads: “May the Lord grant quick release to those abducted and continue to protect his people from all danger. With prayers and sympathy.”

Nigeria has been battling with a surge of violence orchestrated by gangs, whose members carry out indiscriminate attacks, kidnapping for ransom, and in some cases, killing.

Boko Haram insurgency has been a major challenge in the country since 2009, a group that allegedly aims to turn Africa’s most populous nation into an Islamic nation.

The insecurity situation in many other parts of the country has further been complicated by the involvement of the predominantly Muslim Fulani herdsmen, also referred to as the Fulani Militia.

The Nov. 21 attack and kidnappings follow a series of other abductions that have targeted members of the clergy in Africa’s most populous nation.

On Nov. 17, Father Bobbo Paschal was abducted from his residence when gunmen attacked St. Stephen Parish of Kaduna Archdiocese. During the attack, numerous people were kidnapped, and the brother of one priest, Father Anthony Yero, was killed.

The archdiocese on Nov. 20 refuted circulating social media reports that Paschal had been killed.

On Nov. 18, Dauwa raised concerns about the safety of children in the West African country following the Nov. 17 abduction of 25 school girls from Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi state.

In an interview with ACI Africa, he described the incident as a tragic reminder that the country is no longer “safe for its children.”

Dauwa described the abduction as part of an escalating wave of violence sweeping across Kebbi and parts of Niger state. “It has never been this bad. People sleep in the bush because they have nowhere else to run,” he said.

On Nov. 19, one of the 25 kidnapped girls escaped and is now safe, authorities have confirmed, according to ACI Africa. 

The student who escaped arrived home late Monday evening, hours after the kidnapping, according to the school principal, Musa Rabi Magaji.

As the international community expressed concern, Pope Leo XIV addressed the crisis Tuesday evening while departing the papal residence in Castel Gandolfo. 

Responding to a question from EWTN News, the Holy Father lamented the ongoing insecurity and called for renewed efforts to protect all civilians.

“In Nigeria, in certain areas, there is certainly a danger for Christians — but for all people,” Pope Leo said, adding: “Christians and Muslims have been slaughtered. There’s a question of terrorism, a question tied to economics and control of land.”

The pope noted that many Christians have died and emphasized that any long-term solution must involve cooperation between religious communities, civil authorities, and the Nigerian government.

“It’s very important to seek a way… to promote authentic religious freedom,” he said.

In July, three minor seminarians were abducted during an armed attack on Immaculate Conception Minor Seminary in Nigeria’s Diocese of Auchi. All three endured months of torture despite pleas with abductors and the paying of ransoms. Two of the seminarians later regained their freedom, while the third died in captivity.

U.S. President Donald Trump recently designated Nigeria as a country of particular concern (CPC) — a move that Father Hyacinth Ichoku, the vice chancellor of Veritas University in Abuja, said accords national leaders of the West African nation an opportunity for international collaboration rather than an act of hostility.

“Anyone who can support us with equipment and help our soldiers in their war against bandits should be encouraged. That is what Trump wants for our country,” Ichoku told ACI Africa on Nov. 7 during Veritas University’s 14th convocation lecture.

This story was first published by ACI Africa, CNA's news partner in Africa, and has been adapted by CNA.

Archbishop José Gomez delivers the homily at a special Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels amid burning fires in Los Angeles on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. / Credit: The Archdiocese of Los Angeles/YouTube

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 21, 2025 / 16:50 pm (CNA).

Archbishop José H. Gómez of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles criticized President Donald Trump’s mass deportation efforts and urged lawmakers to find a bipartisan solution to fix the American immigration system.

“My brother bishops and I have seen how this deportation policy is ruining people’s lives and breaking up families; in our parishes and neighborhoods, people are now living in constant fear,” Gómez said in a Nov. 18 op-ed published in Angelus News.

Gómez — who serves the largest archdiocese in the country and a large Hispanic population — referenced the Nov. 12 special message from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), which conveyed unified opposition to “the indiscriminate mass deportation of people,” approved by 96% of bishops who voted.

In his op-ed, Gómez accused the Trump administration of carrying out deportations “in harsh and indiscriminate ways.” He criticized alleged quotas for arrests, raids on workplaces, limits to foreign worker visas and other legal pathways to the United States, and the revocation of some immigrants’ “temporary protected legal status.”

“Agents are not only picking up violent criminals, they are also detaining mothers and fathers, even grandparents, hardworking men and women who are pillars in our parishes and communities,” the archbishop said.

Gómez expressed concerns about a lack of due process and detention centers being “not safe or clean.” The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has repeatedly denied these claims, with a spokesperson telling CNA on Nov. 17 that the administration “cares deeply about the intrinsic human dignity of everybody it comes in contact with.”

The archbishop also expressed concern about detainees being denied Communion, such as has occurred at a facility in Broadview, Illinois. A DHS spokesperson told CNA that the request in Broadview could not be accommodated because of safety concerns and the manner of clergy’s requests to enter.

“And this is what really could have avoided this entire kerfuffle on the front is if people just reached out ahead of time and did a lot of these things ahead of time, instead of, in one situation, there was one retired priest who simply just showed up in a large mob of people and demanded to be let in,” said Nate Madden, principal deputy assistant secretary for communications at DHS. 

Father Larry Dowling, a retired pastor and a member of the Coalition for Spiritual and Public Life’s clergy council, led a Eucharistic procession to Broadview on Oct. 11 where participants sang and prayed the rosary in English and Spanish. After multiple denials following formal requests and attempts to follow DHS’ admittance policy, Catholic clergy have sued to exercise their right to freedom of religion and distribute Communion at the facility.

The DHS said pastoral care is available at all long-term detention facilities, but that Broadview is a short-term processing facility designed for 12-hour stays. Detainees have alleged confinement there for nearly a week.

The administration says it has deported more than 500,000 people and that at least 1.6 million more have self-deported, according to DHS. A department spokesperson said on Oct. 27: “This is just the beginning.”

Gómez acknowledged “our government has the right to enforce its immigration laws,” which includes deportations. Yet, he said, “deportation is not the only way to hold people accountable for entering the country wrongfully.”

Gómez encouraged the Trump administration to “pause” mass deportation efforts and “refocus its enforcement efforts on those who are truly a threat to public safety and order.” He asked the administration to work with Congress to pass immigration reform legislation.

Gómez: ‘There is still a way forward’

The archbishop acknowledged that anxiety about large-scale migration into the United States and former President Joe Biden’s “loose border enforcement policies” partly resulted in Americans electing Trump in 2024.

Gómez said “growing anxiety and fears about how the global economy is reshaping local economies and communities” and people seeing immigrants as “threats to their livelihoods” also factored into election results.

Although he said he understands “the popular anger about uncontrolled borders and large numbers of undocumented people in our country,” he said Trump’s policies are “no way to defend the rule of law or the sovereignty of our great nation.”

The archbishop said it’s true that people who entered the country illegally “have responsibility for their actions,” but said the system has been broken for more than 40 years. He said many “came with the implied understanding that the authorities would look the other way because businesses needed their labor.”

“Politicians, business leaders, and activist groups have long exploited this issue for their own advantage,” Gómez said. “That is why the problem persists.”

The archbishop said “there is still a way forward” on immigration. He said solutions could include holding people accountable in some way while also providing people with a pathway for legal status. 

“Millions of undocumented men and women in this country have no criminal record and have been living and working here for decades,” he said. “These immigrants own homes, they run businesses, or work in jobs our society needs; they have children and grandchildren; they are good neighbors and faithful parishioners.”

“Surely a great nation can find a generous solution for these people — to hold them accountable for breaking our laws, but also to provide them with a pathway to a permanent legal status,” Gómez said.

First Choice Women’s Resource Centers is a Christian nonprofit in New Jersey. / Credit: Photo courtesy of Alliance Defending Freedom

CNA Staff, Nov 21, 2025 / 16:20 pm (CNA).

When the subpoena hit her desk, Aimee Huber had to make a choice: Give up years of private information about her New Jersey-based pregnancy center network or fight back.

First Choice Women’s Resource Centers provides a range of support for mothers in need, including counseling, baby clothes and diapers, parenting classes, ultrasounds, and telehealth options.

But the state attorney general’s office was demanding “10 years of documentation on our donor communications, our advertising, our statements about abortion pill reversal, and even our donors’ identity,” Huber said at a press conference on Nov. 20.

“There were no allegations of wrongdoing,” Huber said. “It was simply a fishing expedition.”

The Christian medical nonprofit does not take any government funding and relies entirely on donor support.

“We are a small nonprofit, and the idea of compiling so much information was completely daunting,” Huber said.

“Since pregnancy centers like ours do not perform abortion, we are targeted by a government that disagrees with our views,” Huber continued.

Meanwhile, “New Jersey has the fifth-highest abortion rate in the nation,” Huber said. 

“Our state has done everything they could to make New Jersey a sanctuary state for abortion,” she said.

So Huber decided to fight back. 

“If our attorney general can bully us, it can happen in other states that promote abortion,” she said. “It’s our hope that our efforts will result in protection for pregnancy centers across the U.S.”  

The case has gone through years of back-and-forth ever since the subpoena hit Huber’s desk in November 2023.

In June, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to take the case, and the court will hear oral arguments on Dec. 2.

“This legal battle is never something we thought we would be involved in, but the women and the families that we serve are worth it,” Huber said.

‘My guiding light’ 

Meera* had just moved to New Jersey when she learned she was pregnant; with two young children, no family in town, and no insurance, she didn’t know where to turn.

But then she got a next-day appointment with First Choice Women’s Resource Centers.

“I was greeted by a group of wonderful women. They all spoke so well, and they treated me so nicely,” she said during a press call on Thursday.

When Meera couldn’t find anyone to watch her two young boys, she called the clinic to cancel her follow-up ultrasound. 

“You don’t need to cancel your appointment for that,” Meera remembered the woman on the phone telling her. “Bring them.”

When Meera arrived, the clinic had stickers, snacks, and toys for her boys. Two women watched them while Meera had her appointment.

 Since then, Meera enrolled in parenting classes at the clinic and has been a client for the past year and a half while she navigates parenting her third child.  

“First Choice is my guiding light,” Meera said. “They saved me when I really needed them.” 

“These women have changed my life,” she said.

Meera is one of 36,000 women that First Choice, headed by Huber, has helped over their 40 years of service. 

Why the case matters

The case centers on free speech, according to Lincoln Wilson, an attorney with Alliance Defending Freedom, which is helping represent the pregnancy center.

Wilson said that New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin is attempting “to harass and persecute First Choice for its protected speech and get its donors to stop supporting it.” 

Platkin has “been overtly hostile to the mission of pregnancy centers,” Wilson said at the press conference on Nov. 20.

“He issued a consumer alert against pregnancy centers, warning New Jerseyans that they do not perform abortions,” Wilson said. “And he even had Planned Parenthood help him draft the alert.”

The alleged targeting has a trickle-down effect that can reach donors and even volunteers at pregnancy centers. Donors often prefer to remain anonymous or private given that supporting pregnancy centers is often stigmatized, according to Odalys Banks, First Choice director of centers. 

“If donors and volunteers were no longer to remain anonymous, the center’s mission would significantly be impacted,” Banks said. 

Volunteers and donors might pull back their support, she said, “out of fear of harassment or stigmatization.”

A board member at an Illinois network of pregnancy centers and maternity homes attested to the safety concerns for volunteers and donors.

“The fear of retribution by supporters of legal abortion is not a fiction, it is a fact,” said Mary FioRito, a Chicago-based attorney and longtime pro-life volunteer, in a statement shared with CNA. 

One of Aid for Women’s centers was badly vandalized, and every year, its annual dinner is protested “despite the fact that the organization is not political, only service-oriented,” she said. 

Centers “should not be forced to reveal the names of those who support them,” FioRito said. 

“Donors and volunteers whose only objective is to provide pregnant women with support should not live in fear of being doxed for doing so,” she continued. 

This case “matters to pregnancy centers around the country,” Lincoln said.  

Pregnancy centers across the U.S. provide hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of service, medical care, and material goods a year, according to a recent report from the Charlotte Lozier Institute. 

But they often face vandalism or even legal challenges from states where abortion is legal. 

“They’re all subject to the same type of harassment, and especially after the Dobbs decision, many of them have suffered violence and vandalism,” Lincoln continued. 

But the case is important for any organization, Lincoln said. 

“Any organization, right or left, no matter which side of the aisle you’re on, there needs to be the ability to keep this information confidential,” Lincoln said. 

*Meera’s last name is withheld for privacy reasons.

A cross stands in Montse Sole Historical Park in memorial of the victims of the massacres carried out there by Nazis in 1944. / Credit: Francesco de Marco/Shutterstock

Vatican City, Nov 21, 2025 / 15:50 pm (CNA).

Father Ubaldo Marchioni was praying the rosary with a fearful congregation in the Church of Santa Maria Assunta outside Bologna, Italy, when Nazi soldiers broke down the door on Sept. 29, 1944, and shot him in the head. 

The remaining 197 people who had taken refuge in the church were forced outside to the cemetery and massacred, including 52 children. The killings marked the first day of what is now known as the Marzabotto Massacre, a large civilian massacre in which Waffen-SS units murdered at least 770 civilians between Sept. 29 and Oct. 5, 1944, including children, women, and the elderly in retaliation for local support of Italian resistance fighters. 

Marchioni, a diocesan priest ordained only two years earlier, was 26 years old. 

On Nov. 21, Pope Leo XIV formally recognized Marchioni as a martyr killed “in hatred for the faith,” along with another Italian priest murdered in the same wave of violence, Father Nicola Capelli.

Capelli, who took the religious name Martino of Our Lady of Sorrows when he professed vows with the Priests of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in 1930, had long dreamed of serving as a missionary in China. Under obedience, he remained in Italy. When news spread of the attacks near Marzabotto, he rushed to the area to administer the last rites.

He was arrested on Sept. 29, 1944, the same day Marchioni was killed, and held for two days. On Oct. 1, SS troops executed him along with 44 other prisoners. Witnesses said he raised his hand to give his fellow prisoners a final blessing before they were shot. He was 32. 

With the pope’s decree, both priests can now be beatified. 

4 Catholics advance on the path to sainthood 

During an audience with Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, Pope Leo also approved decrees recognizing the heroic virtues of four other Catholics, declaring them venerable: Australian doctor and nun Mary Glowrey (1887–1957), Brazilian consecrated laywoman Maria de Lourdes Guarda (1926–1996), Italian Archbishop Enrico Bartoletti (1916–1976), and Italian priest Gaspare Goggi (1877–1908). 

Glowrey, later known as Sister Mary of the Sacred Heart, left Australia in 1920 to serve as a doctor and missionary in India. She treated hundreds of poor patients daily, learned local languages, and founded what became the Catholic Hospital Association. Pope Benedict XIV granted her special permission to perform medical work “in bonum animarum,” making her the first nun, doctor, and missionary, according to the Vatican Dicastery for the Causes of Saints. 

De Lourdes Guarda, a member of the Secular Institute Caritas Christi in Brazil, spent decades paralyzed and bedridden after a sudden illness at age 21. She offered her suffering in prayer and became a national leader in promoting dignity and rights for people with disabilities, even as her health deteriorated from kidney disease, gangrene, and eventually cancer. 

Bartoletti, later archbishop of Lucca and secretary-general of the Italian bishops’ conference, was a biblical scholar who openly opposed the Nazi persecution of Jews and collaborated with Jewish relief groups during the war. After Pope Pius XII named him a bishop, Bartoletti contributed to the Second Vatican Council and guided the Italian Church through major social reforms. 

Goggi, a priest of the Little Work of Divine Providence founded by St. Luigi Orione, served as the first rector of the Church of Sant’Anna inside Vatican City. Known for his devotion to parishioners and his reputation for holiness, he was often sought out for confession. He suffered a severe physical and mental decline in his final months and died in 1908 at age 31. 

Each of the four new venerables will require two miracles attributed to their intercession to be canonized as saints. 

Teens Mia Smothers, Ezequiel Ponce, Micah Alcisto, Elise Wing, and Chris Pantelakis, and moderator Katie McGrady, right, take a “selfie” with Pope Leo XIV during a live digital encounter at Lucas Oil Stadium on Nov. 21, 2025. / Credit: Photo courtesy of Katie McGrady

Indianapolis, Indiana, Nov 21, 2025 / 15:20 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV answered questions from five teenagers at the National Catholic Youth Conference in Indianapolis during a live digital encounter Friday morning. 

Mia Smothers, Micah Alcisto, Ezequiel Ponce, Christopher Pantelakis, and Elise Wing asked Pope Leo questions and held a conversation with him on Nov. 21 as thousands of teens gathered in Lucas Oil Stadium.

The Holy Father discussed matters close to the teens’ hearts including recovering from mistakes, giving worries to Jesus, distractions, technology, and the future of the Church. 

Mia Smothers

Mia Smothers, a freshman from Joppa, Maryland, started the conversation with the pope by asking the first question.  

“At first I was very nervous, but when I saw the Holy Father on the screen, I was like, ‘It’s all going to be OK.’ Because I saw the emotion and how happy he was to be able to talk to us. So it just took the nervousness away,” Smothers told CNA. 

Smothers asked the pope about how people can recover from mistakes and accept God’s mercy. He responded by reminding teens that “all of us struggle” and “none of us [are] perfect.” 

His answer was “very surprising,” because “it showed that he also struggles, and it was another person’s perspective on how they dealt with their problems,” Smothers said.

The pope’s discussion on technology really stood out to Smothers, she said, especially when he said “electronics cannot take away real connections.” Smothers, who has nine siblings, said she hopes they apply the messages from Pope Leo to their lives. 

“I want them to make connections and be more involved in the Church,” she said. “Because as the pope says, we are the present and we’re also the future. So I need them to understand and see if you put yourself out in the Church, great things will happen.”

Pope Leo asked the students to ponder how they can build peace in the world, and to answer his call Smothers said she can “tell more people about God and tell them to bring more peace to people’s hearts.”

Micah Alcisto

Micah Alcisto from Honolulu told CNA “being a part of the history of the pope, and the first interaction of the pope in America, is truly surreal to me.” 

“Everything that he says is very heartwarming and touching.” Alcisto highlighted that the pope even “cracked a little bit of jokes.” He added: “I think it really broke the tension in the room. It grabbed everyone’s attention.”

“I never thought someone could speak so well and politely like him. And I think that’s what makes a difference in people’s lives is how you talk to others. … Everything about how he spoke to us, the lessons he gave, and how he related it all back to the Scripture and the Bible is definitely a one-of-a-kind experience,” Alcisto said.

The pope told the students that he is praying for them, which Alcisto said gave him goosebumps. “Just to hear him acknowledge us … means so much. I’ve never really felt that way from someone, especially coming from Pope Leo. Never would I have thought he would have said that to me personally,” he said.

Alcisto said he appreciated that the pope recognizes there is “a lot of authenticity in teens” like himself. Specifically, “our flame, our passion for religion and once you see a group of kids expressing their faith loudly, it makes everyone else want to do it,” he said.

“I think that’s what is special about us teens — we have the excitement, the flame with us to spread the word and the Gospel … It’s really a blessing that he got to actually acknowledge it to us. I think it will give us more excitement to spread the Gospel and the faith,” Alcisto said.

Ezequiel Ponce

Ezequiel Ponce, a high school senior from Downey, California, said he was surprisingly “super calm” when he was speaking with the pope. “I was taking in the information like if it was a personal mentor, like if he was right in front of me. I was listening. … I was really involved and engaged.”

“Something that definitely stood out to me was when he said to find someone that you can truly trust and be honest with, especially … finding a friend or family member that will help you grow your faith with God,” Ponce said.

“I was very excited to hear that he has us in our prayers, because I know that we’ve had him in our prayers,” Ponce said. “So it felt like we already built a connection. He already established himself. Honestly, that just strengthened my faith.”

As the group listened to the Holy Father, they “were all truly in it 100%,” Ponce said. “My main takeaway was that what I’m doing right now is good, because he talked about being involved in the Church. That’s how you can grow your faith. And that’s honestly what I’ve been doing.”

Christopher Pantelakis

“I was just out of breath. It was breathtaking,” said Christopher Pantelakis, a high school junior from Nevada. He said he “couldn’t really process” the experience as he was talking to Pope Leo.

While Pantelakis said he was incredibly nervous to speak to the Holy Father, he prayed beforehand to be at ease. “I was sitting there right before it was going to happen, and I was just like, ‘God, please help me. Please guide me through this.’’

As the conversations started, “I looked over at the people sitting next to me and all my friends that also talked, and it was so amazing to have this wonderful guy right here, the Holy Father, referring to us by our names and calling us his friends,” Pantelakis said. 

The pope “referred to us as his friends and he wasn’t just stating something for an interview or something. He was directly talking back to us. He was answering our questions, and he was engaged in our conversation. You could tell he cared.”

Pantelakis said he was thinking, “‘this is a genuine guy right here.’ It was just such an amazing thing to see.”

Pantelakis asked the Holy Father about technology and said he appreciated when the pope said “that no digital experience could replace a hug or can replace the feeling of a human being.” 

Elise Wing

Elise Wing, a high school senior from Waterloo, Iowa, highlighted how the pope understands the youth. “Even before I asked him: ‘How can young people be involved in that?’ He had already answered,” in the previous questions, she said. 

Pope Leo “said that preparing for the future is in the sacraments right now. We have to have a relationship with Jesus, and that’s through the sacraments and through communication with him to be able to come together as a full Church and tackle the future together,” she said.

“There’s so much that we need to prepare for in our hearts — spiritually and when we’re facing struggles with connection. We talked about AI and technology and mental health. Those struggles are something that are continuing. They’re going to be present in the future of the Church as well,” Wing said.

The conversation was “so personal,” Wing said. “Pope Leo said, ‘We’re looking for youth. We’re looking for you, not anybody else. You.’ The Holy Spirit was working because there was a very clear message.”

“There’s so much hope in the future. I think that Pope Leo really gives that message of hope in the way he responds to people and in how active he has been in sharing his perspectives,” she said.

Pope Leo discussed how “the Church doesn’t choose a political side,” Wing said. “We are divided by politics in America. It’s present. And even in high school, it’s something that you can’t ignore.” She said the topic is “very appreciated by the younger generations.” 

“The Church is above that,” Wing said. “It’s about Jesus, not about which side you’re on. I think that that unity and that peace of mind that he brings to a younger generation is something that is so profound.

“I was really struck by the way that everything the pope said reflected back to Jesus. It was not about him at all. He didn’t dwell on the struggles, but he pointed it all back to the Lord and how the Lord is working in each of us here, now, and in the future,” Wing said.

Bishop Wilfred Anagbe of the Nigerian Diocese of Makurdi in Benue state at a breakfast at Capitol Hill organized by Aid to the Church in Need, Jan. 30, 2024. / Credit: Peter Pinedo/CNA

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 21, 2025 / 14:40 pm (CNA).

A Nigerian Catholic bishop said U.S. military intervention is warranted at a Nov. 20 hearing of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa.

The hearing took place just days after an attack on a Catholic boarding school in western Nigeria in which children were abducted from the school’s hostel.

“Nigeria is ground zero” for religious persecution, said the subcommittee’s chair, Rep. Chris Smith, R-New Jersey, at the hearing. “Make no mistake, these ongoing attacks are based on religion, and diverting attention from it denies what we have seen with our own eyes.”

Bishop Wilfred Anagbe of the Diocese of Makurdi, Benue, Nigeria, told the panel via Zoom that the United States must follow Nigeria’s addition on the watch list with concrete action.

“Without quick intervention, Christianity risks elimination in parts of northern and Middle Belt Nigeria within a very short time,” the bishop said, noting that while designation as a country of particular concern (CPC) has “brought immense joy, hope, and spiritual resilience to communities under siege in Nigeria,” the Church cannot stop persecution alone. 

“​​It requires coordinated political, military, and humanitarian intervention,” the bishop said. “Mr. Chairman and members, the blood of Nigerian Christians cries out to you. We cannot afford to wait any longer.”

The hearing highlighted ongoing religious persecution of Christians in Nigeria by groups including Boko Haram and the Muslim extremist Fulani herdsmen, and examined how the U.S. State Department could apply pressure on the Nigerian government to tamp down religious persecution. 

President Donald Trump announced on Oct. 31 he would place Nigeria on the U.S. religious freedom violation watch list and designate it as a CPC.

Under the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) of 1998, the U.S president must designate countries that engage in or tolerate “particularly severe violations of religious freedom” as CPCs. Violations include torture, prolonged detention without charges, and forced disappearence, according to the State Department. 

The bishop recounted ongoing attacks in Nigeria’s Middle Belt states by Fulani militia as well as in his own village of Aondona in Gwer West LGA, which resulted in the deaths of several of his relatives on May 22. 

Agnabe urged the U.S. to use all of the tools at its disposal to aid Nigeria and to “enact concrete actions,” including the use of targeted sanctions under the Magnitsky Act and the expansion of humanitarian aid for internal displacement camps. 

“We all know that inaction emboldens the extremists even more,” he said. 

Smith called for the U.S. government to place conditions on foreign aid and to provide humanitarian assistance to faith-based groups working to help displaced people in the Middle Belt region. He further called for the Trump administration to impose targeted sanctions under the Magnitsky Act, including visa bans and asset freezes on individuals and entities “responsible for these gross human rights abuses.” 

Smith cited statistics from Open Doors, which found that Nigeria has persecuted and slaughtered more Christians than anywhere in the world. Smith also said about 52,000 Christians have been targeted and killed, in addition to 34,000 moderate Muslims, since 2009. 

Rep. Riley Moore, R-West Virginia, whom Trump charged with reporting to him about Nigeria, at the hearing called for the disarmament of Fulani militants in Nigeria.

Democratic House members said at the hearing that persecution in Nigeria is not limited to Christians and agreed that the Nigerian government has failed to halt attacks. 

Rep. Sara Jacobs, D-California, said she opposed Trump’s pledge to employ military action in Nigeria and cautioned against viewing ongoing violence in Nigeria as “merely religious.” She encouraged State Department officials to “use the [diplomatic] tools in our toolbox” before resorting to controlled strikes in the region. 

Ambassador Jonathan Pratt, the senior official leading the State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs, condemned the Nigerian’s government’s “failure to intervene” on behalf of persecuted Christians and said the Trump administration is working to “develop a plan to incentivize” action.